The present invention relates to nursery apparatus and more particularly to a safety device for a collapsible playpen which can prevent the playpen from unintentional-collapse by a user.
For ease in transport, collapsible playpens are therefore available on the market. My previous disclosure of a Control Device for Folding and Expanding a Base Portion of a Playpen, U. S. Pat. No. 5,497,517 as shown in FIG. 1, includes four upper corners 11, four lower corners 12, a base portion 13, four upper railings 14, four drive posts 15, having ends respectively pivoted at the lower corners 12 and the base portion 13, four vertical stands 18 respectively secured to the upper and lower corners 11 and 12, a pair of linking rods 16 pivoted to the four drive posts 15, a pair of resilient strips 17 connected to the base portion 13 and the linking rods 17 and a casing 19 covering the peripheral portion of the playpen with its bottom placed over the top of the base portion 13.
When the base portion 13 is pulled upward and the upper railings 14 are pushed downward, the four vertical stands 18 will move centripetally thereby folding the playpen into a small rectangular form.
However, if any of the upper railings 14 is inadvertently pushed downward (as shown in FIG. 2) by a user, the vertical stands 18 will move inward to collapse the playpen. This dangerous situation will occur because the playpen lacks a safety device.